I’ve added a new sidebar widget to the right. It’s my Google reader (don’t you just love Google?). I’m clipping links to headlines that I think matter to Moms. Stories that I find on the Web that I think will interest my readers here on Balancing Motherhood.

It will show the 5 most recently added headlines at a time, but if you click the “Read more” link you’ll get all of the stories I’ve clipped. I hope you enjoy this new feature as I find more ways to share the interesting news that I find.

The sidebar will be added as frequently as I find relevant stories so be sure to check back to see the latest headlines, in addition to my daily post.

Years ago, when chatting first hit mainstream, I’m thinking it was somewhere around 1995, my husband’s family had each purchased new computers — all in the same year. It was revolutionary. We were in Central Florida, the parents in Southwest Florida and my husband’s four sisters and their families all over the country, from California to Ohio and in between.

We’d schedule weekly or monthly chats with the entire family. Revolutionary. Seems to simple now, but back then it was incredible. We were able to communicate in a much broader sense.

Now, chatting has evolved so much. There’s IM, Twitter, email from phones, TXT and SMS messaging. And, recently Macintosh has introduced iChat. How this has opened my eyes to communication.

At my office we were all asked to use iChat as a main way to communicate to people not in our building. At first I wasn’t sure how I’d like seeing people (rather, people seeing me via a computer screen. I have to say, that it’s changed the way I feel about this type of communication. My parents must get a new Mac. We don’t get to see family all the time since we live in different cities, but being able to see each other will help build a stronger connection.

As soon as they upgrade, my toddler son will be able to see his grandparents whenever they are available for a conversation. Cameras are built right into the new Mac computers which simplify the process. And, Mac being Mac, they’ve made iChat super easy to use. There’s no fee either.

If you are in the market for a new computer and have family far away you owe it to yourself to consider a MacBook Pro or iMac computer — if you can convince the family member on the other end to comply. It will change your world — Jetsons style!

Here’s a tutorial I found on YouTube that shows how easy it it so use.

Social media has come a long way, baby. A long way indeed. Cybersleuthing is what moms do instead of reading our kids’ diaries, when we fear they are in trouble.

“Good Morning America” had a great segment on today about why parents should have accounts on these networks — to check up on our kids.

It’s important to know and understand how they are communicating, and to whom they are communicating.

The segment is entitled, “Five Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe Online.” ABC.com won’t let me embed it (bah!) but here’s the link.

Read the full ABCNews story here.

Want more help? Contact WiredSafety, “the world’s largest Internet safety and help group.”

I’m a pretty positive person and try to be optimistic in life. When my life gets hectic or stressful I try to go back and look at what I have to be grateful for. There are always to many things. Just take a look at the news and you’ll find a handful of reasons:

• Floods are ruining homes, towns
• My house isn’t made of Styrofoam. Often I wish for a larger house, more space for my family to spread out and run around. Lots and lots of space. Another bedroom would be nice. But then I think of the people in China who are living in Styrofoam homes.
• Here’s a great headline from ABCnews.com: “Jilted Bride: ‘In a Moment, It’s the Worst Day of Your Life’‘
• Ok, so I don’t have a book deal, but my parenting skills have never been questioned. Lynne Spears is releasing her book this fall.

You get the picture. Every day there are hundreds of things to be thankful for. Tonight, try to think of three reasons you are grateful. Even those people who’ve lost everything in the recent floods often are shown on TV saying how thankful that they are safe. That their families are safe. It’s amazing how a bit of perspective changes everything.

Yesterday I took breakfast in bed for my husband: omelet, sausage, banana bread and a cup of coffee. Sounds pretty nice, right?

Well, how does this sound? Yesterday I took breakfast in bed to my husband: a two-egg cheddar cheese omelet, honey-smoked sausage links, homemade banana bread and a steaming cup of Columbian coffee with vanilla-flavored creamer. Oh, yes, that sounds MUCH better. And, it’s all true.

With a little effort we can make all things sound so much nicer. It works in reverse to: Sometimes we tend to be jealous of other’s accomplishments.

It’s like those Lean Cuisine commercials: For dinner last night I had oven roasted chicken with steamed vegetables and a lemon butter sauce.

Reality: She ate a frozen dinner!

The next time you find yourself jealous of someone else, simplify what they are saying to determine if it, in reality, is what you are wanting. Or, is it just clever words making something simple sound so much better?